Shawcross gets England call

Ryan Shawcross was driven out of the Britannia Stadium in tears by his mum following his red card against Arsenal – then learned he had been picked for England.

In a squad to face Egypt at Wembley on Wednesday notable for the inclusions of Theo Walcott and Stewart Downing , and the exclusion of Joe Cole , Shawcross’ name stands out.

Ryan Shawcross

That Fabio Capello made reference on Friday of his intention to select a rookie central defender to tackle the African Nations Cup winners only made the timing of Shawcross’ horror lunge at Aaron Ramsey as awful as the challenge itself.

Capello and trusted assistant Franco Baldini even delayed the announcement of their squad by 40 minutes to have one last discussion about Shawcross’ presence given the severity of the injury Ramsey is thought to have suffered during Arsenal’s win at Stoke.

But Shawcross’ obvious remorse over the incident, for which he was sent off, weighed heavily in the 22-year-old’s favour and Capello opted to stick with his original intention to pick the Chester-born youngster.

The selection is merited given the injuries that have ruled out Rio Ferdinand and Gary Cahill.

Since leaving Manchester United for Stoke, initially on loan, then a permanent transfer, Shawcross has proved himself to be one of the most effective young defenders in the country.

He has been a key figure in Stoke establishing themselves in the top flight and Capello – and Tony Pulis for that matter – would no doubt point to the fact Shawcross had never previously been sent off in his admittedly short career, prior to this, as evidence it should be regarded as an isolated incident.

Indeed, given the obvious distress Shawcross was in the immediate aftermath of the tackle, Capello’s first task when his squad meets on Sunday might be to try and buoy the youngster up.

The 24-man party named by Capello was the first since Wayne Bridge announced he was no longer putting himself forward. Although Capello hopes Bridge will change his mind prior to the World Cup, with Ashley Cole ruled out with a broken ankle, Capello handed Leighton Baines and Stephen Warnock the left-back slots as expected.